Knowledgebase
Serviceberry? #800246
Asked July 09, 2022, 2:17 PM EDT
Adams County Colorado
Expert Response
Hi Jennifer
Thanks for contacting the Master Gardener program in Adams County. When serviceberries bloom is the best time for identification! The leaves can look slightly different depending on the type of serviceberry you may have. The flowers are five petaled and come before the leaves come out. They bloom on wood like a Forsythia bush and some other Spring bloomers. I have enclosed a handout on Serviceberries. When the berries ripen they should turn red and then a deep blue or purple. The berries on the right hand bush, have fringes on them at the end of the berry opposite the stem and this is also a trait serviceberries have. I cannot identify totally from the pictures and I cannot say if they are edible. I would call a nursery that actually sells a serviceberry bush and take a small branch to them or you can call an arborist to come take a quick look at your bushes to see if they can identify your plants. If you can take a picture of the entire bush from further away, this might help us as well. They certainly look like serviceberries, but again before you eat any fruit I would be sure of it! Thanks again and we do have a tree team of Master Gardeners that can make a house call, but it does cost $25.00.
https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/fruits/1213-serviceberries/